A/N: I own nothing

"I see. Thank you for informing me of these... developments, lord Ragnarök. Please see to it that all the necessary paperwork is filled out and that anyone who is not me or my intended are locked out of those accounts... oh, and have those falsified marriage contracts destroyed but don't inform those involved for as long as possible, understood? I am leaving to fetch my intended and bring her here, so I would like everything taken care of when I return, if possible."

"It shall be done by the time you return, lord Millennium."

"Excellent. I shall return shortly then, lord Ragnarök."

-Number Four Privet Drive-Surrey, England-

A high fever burned through the thin body of the fourteen, nearly fifteen year old girl that resided in smallest bedroom of house number four. Sweat ladened black hair that had been cropped by her aunt when she had returned from Hogwarts two weeks ago, stuck up in a scruffy array of spikes. They had taken advantage of her sorrowful and depressed attitude to force a ridiculous amount of chores on her and they had her working form the crack of dawn until late at night, rain or shine. The small fever she had caught during her last week of Hogwarts had worsened and she was surprised that she was still able to stay conscious with how high her temperature was. She was grateful that the Dursleys had left yesterday to visit Vernon's sister Marge and that they wouldn't return for another three days. She had abandoned her chores in favor of rescuing her schooling supplies and resting. The rest had done wonders for her and her fever wasn't as bad as it had been a few days ago but it was still pretty bad. The sound of a doorbell ringing made her groan before she pulled herself out of her bed and went downstairs to answer the door. Peering through the peephole, she saw a man she didn't recognize but not wanting to be rude, she opened the door slightly, though she left the chain on.
"Yes?" she said "Can I help you?"

"I'm looking for Clio Potter." he said with a polite smile "Is she in?" That sent up big warning flags in her mind. What if this man worked for Voldermort? Well... he probably wouldn't be so polite but still...

"I'm sorry but you must have the wrong house." said Clio as she tried to close the door but the man placing his hand on the door kept it from closing.

"I do believe the goblins gave me the correct address, miss Potter." said the man as he pushed slightly on the door. The chain snapped and Clio stumbled back a bit before catching herself on the banister of the staircase, her eyes wide with shock. H-how did he do that? The man entered before he turned and closed the door. The soft 'click' of the door closing snapped her out of her stupor and she bolted back upstairs, slamming her door shut behind her as she ran into her room. She tried to shove her dresser in front of the door but her strength decided to escape her and she leaned heavily on the piece of furniture until she heard the man walking up the stairs. Giving the dresser one last shove, she moved away from it when it refused to budge and went over to the window, shoving it open before staring down at the ground for a moment. Turning, she barely managed to get three steps towards her trunk when the door was carefully opened. She took a step back as the man entered the room before turning towards the window and taking another step before she found a pair of arms wrapped securely around her waist. She struggled fiercely for a few moments before her strength gave out and she slumped against him panting, her fever reminding her that it was still there.

"You have nothing to fear, miss Potter." he said gently and almost reassuringly "If I wanted to hurt you, I would have done so already."

"Why are you here then?" she asked.
"I'm here to set you free." he replied "To set you free from the game the old man of Hogwarts is playing."

"Game?" she questioned.

"All will be explained in time." he replied before he moved his one arm while keeping the other securely around her waist "For now, we need to return to Gringotts." A simple gesture of his hand and all of her possessions were in her trunk while another gesture shrunk it and summoned it to his hand before he promptly put it in his pocket. His arm wrapped around her waist again before the two of them vanished from number four in a swirl of dark energy and reappeared in Ragnarök's office. Gently, he guided Clio over to a chair and had her sit down.

"I fear that she has magical bindings on her," he said as he turned to the scarred and vicious looking goblin seated behind the desk "And her magic is fighting those bindings. Do you have a warded room I could use to remove them, lord Ragnarök?"

"Of course lord Millennium." said Ragnarök "But it will take a few moments to prepare it."

"Have it done immediately." said lord Millennium.

"As you wish." said Ragnarök before summoning a goblin and speaking to him in his native tongue. Clio looked up at lord Millennium as his gloved hand cupped her cheek before he pulled out a potion-filled vial and held it out to her.

"This should help with your fever, little one." he said.

"Thank you." she said as she took the vial and carefully opened it before drinking it, scrunching her face as she did so. Then she looked up at lord Millennium and studied his face for a few moments. He had medium length brown hair that was slicked back, a slight beard and mustache, and his eyes were amber in color. He looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties and he was very handsome. He was also quite a bit taller than her.

"Who... are you?" she asked.

"My real name will be revealed to you soon enough," he said as he crossed his arms behind his back "But, for the moment, you may call me the Millennium Earl or lord Millennium. Whichever you prefer."

"Could I know what's going on, lord Millennium?" she asked.

"As soon as I tend to those binds restraining your magical core." he replied "I will explain everything after that, little one." Clio nodded and he smiled at her before he turned back to Ragnarök and approached the desk. He started speaking to the goblin in his native language and Clio listened for a while before the sound of a door opening caught her attention. She watched as another goblin scurried into the room and spoke briefly with Ragnarök and the Millennium Earl before she found herself being lead into a different room. This room was made of rough hewn rock that had numerous crystals and gemstones within and growing from the walls and ceilings. The floor was flat but rough and also studded with gems and crystals and in the very center of the room was a circular array that consisted of what seemed to be hundreds of symbols and runes.

"Stand here, miss Potter." said the Earl as he lead her to stand in the center of the array "This won't work if you leave the array, so I would like you to try not to move too much."

"I'll try." said Clio.

"Good." he said as backed out of the array before pulling his gloves off. Taking a dagger from one of the goblins, he sliced his palms open before kneeling and placing his bloody hands upon two symbols on the outermost edge of the array. Softly, he began to chant in a language remember by none but him and he threaded his magic into the array as he called upon the spirits of the Earth, the Sea, and the Sky. The array began to glow and he heard Clio whimper in pain but she didn't move, save for fidgeting a little. Closing his amber eyes, he guided his magic into her and followed the pathways of her magic to her core. A brilliantly glowing orb that was almost completely engulfed in chains, some old and some new, appeared in his mind's eye and he delicately began removing the chains and any spells connected to them until he came to the final chain. This chain was different from the others. It was black and corroded, digging into the orb and attempting to bind it to an outside force and control it. Following the chain, the Millennium Earl sneered at what he found. An ugly baby-like snake creature snarled at him threateningly, the tainted chain connected to its chest. For all that he did as the Earl of the Millennium since the Three Days of Darkness, he had never sunken to the level of shattering a soul. This creature was a shard of a soul that had been shattered before, which was repulsive and unforgivable. He easily destroyed the creature and the corroded chain vanished, freeing the orb and allowing its magic to spill forth freely. Withdrawing, the Earl opened his eyes and studied the teen now laying across the array. The scar on her forehead was open and bleeding while she stared at him with hazy green eyes. Standing, he dusted off his now healed hands and walked over to her before lifting her into his arms and carrying her back to Ragnarök's office, where he set her on a chair. A simple spell closed the wound on her head before he all but force fed her several potions to perk her up and help speed up her healing. She would need plenty of rest once he took her back to the Kamelot estate but, for now, he needed her aware and focused. Once he deemed that she was sufficiently aware, he moved the second chair so that he could see both her and Ragnarök easily before sitting down elegantly.

"Now, I believe that you had questions, miss Potter?" asked the Earl.

"Yes." she said "I'd like to know what's going on." Ragnarök pushed a paper forward and the Earl took it.

"This should explain a few things, miss Potter." said the Earl as he handed her the paper. Clio took the paper and took a few minutes to read it over. Her eyes went wide before she looked up.

"I-Is this true?" she asked softly as she clutched the paper.

"Yes, miss Potter." said Ragnarök "This contract was made two days after your birth and it's ironclad. Neither party can cancel this contract as there aren't any loopholes." Clio turned to the Earl.

"Why me?" she asked before flinching when he took her hands into his. It wasn't because he was touching her, no, it was the feeling that shot through her body when he touched her. It was a shock that set her ablaze with foreign feelings she had never felt before.

"You feel it, don't you?" he asked "Every time we touch?" Clio saw that his eyes had darkened slightly "Your soul calls to me. I can hear it singing every time we're in contact. Can you feel it?" he let her go and his eyes returned to normal "We're soul mates."

"Soul... mates?" she said.

"Yes." he replied "I knew from the moment I saw you on the day of your birth." at Clio's confused look, he elaborated "Lord and lady Potter couldn't have children. I offered them a potion that could allow them to have one child. The terms of how they would repay me would be named the day their heir was born. Initially, I intended for them to be benefactors for my cause due to their vast wealth and connections but when I saw you mere hours after your birth, I knew what you would be to me. So I asked for the right to wed you once you reached your age of majority and I wouldn't accept any other payment." he leaned back in his seat "When lord Ragnarök informed me that you had never met with your account manager on your eleventh birthday or since and that you had never replied to any of the bank statements they sent you over the last few years, I decided to ask him to investigate it."

"Bank statements?" said Clio in confusion "I've never received a bank statement in my life and I wasn't aware that I had an account manager."

"We've investigated that," said Ragnarök "And it appears that our owls to you have been intercepted and redirected by one Albus Dumbledore. He's also been accessing your accounts in your name since the death of your parents. A good majority of the money was transferred to either his account or the Weasley family account."

"What?!" said Clio in surprise.

"He has been stealing from you, darlin'," said the Earl "And he placed you in your Aunt's home against your late parents' wishes."

"But... why?" asked Clio.

"He sees the world as a chessboard." said the Earl "And you are his queen. His most valuable piece but I will not allow this game to continue. I am taking you away from England for the remainder of your summer break and guardianship is being passed to me for obvious reasons."

"And the money and artifacts that he has taken from your vaults are being retrieved as we speak." said Ragnarök "Everything will be as if it never left your vaults by the end of the week."

"If I may ask..." said Clio "How many vaults do I have?"

"Four." said Ragnarök "The Evans vault, the Potter vault, the Peverell vault, and your trust vault which will be reabsorbed into the Potter vault when you either reach the age of majority or are emancipated. At the moment, you can only access your trust vault."

"What are the Evans and Peverell vaults?" she asked.

"The Potter family was the last remaining descendants of the Peverell family, which was one of the founding families of Magical England, they were well known for crafting high quality magical objects, some of which still work today." said Ragnarök "Your mother was descended from the Evans family through several generations of squibs. They were known for being able to wield wild magic, which, to put it plainly, is to command and create the very elements of the world, something that no elementally inclined witch or wizard these days can do."

"That's because the Evans were of the original bloodline of humanity." said the Earl "Magic ran true and strong in that bloodline but the new bloodline of humanity cannot handle the powers of the Ancients. However, I can sense that the Evans bloodline runs true and strong in you, darlin'. Which means that there is yet another aspect I must add to your training schedule."

"Training schedule?" asked Clio, not liking how that sounded.

"Yes." said the Earl "The English magical education system is grossly subpar but since your parents already paid for five years, you are required to attend for that long but I will not allow my betrothed to waltz around with subpar magical skills. I have many enemies and I won't be able to protect you at all times, so you must be able to defend yourself. That is what I will see to this summer, among other things. Understood?" Clio nodded "Good, any more questions?"

"Not at the moment." said Clio "Would it be okay to ask later if I think of anything?"

"I'll set aside time each evening for that. Now," said the Earl as he stood "We should get going." he paused for a moment "Do you have a familiar?"

"I have a snowy owl." said Clio "Her name's Hedwig."

"Ah, that's good." he said as he held his hand out to her "She'll be able to find you easily then. Snowy owls are notoriously smart and devoted as well as picky about their masters. Where did you get her?"

"She was my first real birthday gift." said Clio as she took his hand and allowed him to help her up "And my first real friend." The Earl nodded before summoning a glowing doorway.

"Don't let go, little one." he said as he gripped her hand while leading her through the doorway "The Ark always likes to play tricks on newcomers." As she passed through the door, Clio could only wonder what he meant by that.

-line-line-line-

Clio had honesty hoped that everything that had happened the day before hadn't been some whacked out, fever induced dream. So when she woke, she was relieved to find herself in the room she had fallen asleep in last night.

"Man, what have I gotten myself into this time?" she wondered aloud as she slid out of bed before yawning slightly. She looked at her trunk, which was now sitting innocently at the foot of her bed, in confusion. That hadn't been there last night. Going over to it, she opened it and found that all of her clothes were now gone, including all her school uniforms, but her Cloak of Invisibility was still there. Thank God for small miracles. Closing the trunk, Clio wondered what she was going to wear. The nightgown she was wearing had been given to her last night by the maid that showed her the room. So, Clio was just about to go over to the closet to search for clothes when the door was thrown open before getting slammed shut by a girl that looked to be roughly twelve or thirteen. The newcomer had spiky blue hair and purple eyes and she was dressed in a punk-gothic lolita style dress.

"Umm, who are you?" asked Clio. The girl smiled brightly.

"I'm Road Kamelot~!" said the girl with a giggle "And Millennie asked me to come and help you get ready for breakfast~! So you get to be my doll~!" Clio took a step back, not really liking the shark-like smile on Road's face. Maybe she should run... Yeah, running sounded like a good idea but before she could even attempt to, Road yanked her over to the closet and began tossing things into her arms before shoving her into the bathroom and telling her to shower and get dressed. Clio went through her whole morning routine about ten minutes faster than normal thanks to Road and she soon found herself being dragged through the hallways by the shorter teen wearing a modest light green sundress and sandals. The sundress fit her incredibly well and it made Clio wonder how the hell they had gotten her size and put the clothes in a closet that had been empty the night before without her knowing before her mind drifted back to the magic the Earl had preformed yesterday. Perhaps that was how. He was frighteningly powerful when it came to magic from what she had seen so far... but it was still a little creepy. She looked up as Road opened a door and dragged her into a dining room before pushing her into the seat next to the Millennium Earl, who was in his 'Noah' form, which he had shown her the night before.

"Good morning Clio-chan~3" said the Earl as his form faded back to his human one but the bright smile remained on his face "I apologize if Road made you uncomfortable at all."
"It's fine." said Clio as she sat up straight and fixed her sundress "I just wasn't expecting it, that's all."

"How are you feeling this morning, darlin'?" he asked as servants placed their breakfast before them.

"Much better than I've felt in a long time." she said as they started to eat, Clio making sure to use the manners that her Aunt had all but beaten into her "I feel lighter, like I could fly."

"Good, that's very good." said the Earl "It means that you haven't suffered negatively from the bindings but there might be a need to re-teach you how to control your magic since it will probably be far easier to call upon than before. There's so much to teach you and so little time to do it."

"What exactly are you going to teach me?" asked Clio.

"Plenty of things." said the Earl "Magical theory and practical application for charms and transfiguration, potions, basic healing, magical and non-magical combat training, some basic mind magic, basic elemental exercises, runic magic, warding, and etiquette, along with catching you up on your non-magical studies. Oh, and you'll also be taught ballroom dancing and several languages. I won't be the only one who will be teaching you as I have duties I need to fulfill, so other members of my clan will be handling some of the lessons."

"When will I get to meet your clan then?" she asked.

"Tonight at dinner." he said "When we are finished here, there are some important things I must discuss with you in private." Clio nodded silently before returning her full attention to her food. As they ate, they talked, well it was more the Earl asking a question every now and then that would force Clio into a long winded explanation which eventually turned into telling him the story of her life as well as telling him her likes and dislikes, along with explaining why she liked and disliked them. It was almost like an interrogation except much more comfortable and not as... intense. Once breakfast and Q & A was over, the Earl lead Clio to an out of the way sitting room with a beautiful view of the gardens. Clio watched in fascination as he warded the room before sitting down across from her.

"Now," said the Earl, reassuming the business-like air that he had possessed yesterday "What I am about to reveal to you is a more than seven thousand year old secret kept from most of humanity. This must remain a secret, Clio. Even from your friends in the magical world, understood?"

"Yes sir." said Clio.

"Good." he said "It would be best if I started from the beginning." Clio listened as the Earl wove a tale of Innocence, Akuma, the family of Noah, and the secret war. He told her of the creation of Innocence and Akuma, of the founding of the family of Noah, and of the sentient Innocence that broke the balance between the two and started the war. He told her of Noah's Ark and the Three Days of Darkness. He told her all this and much more. By the time he finished his tale, the sun had passed its highest mark and was beginning to get low in the sky.

"This war... is it still going on?" asked Clio.

"Yes." said the Earl "That is why I'm so insistent on you being properly trained. If the Black Order ever discovers what you are to me, they'll stop at nothing to kill you."

"That's nothing new to me." said Clio "I've become an expert at dealing with people wanting me dead over the last few years but I'll do my best to make you proud, lord Millennium."

"Adam." he said "My true name is Adam."

"Adam?" she repeated.

"Yes." he said with a nod "You may call me that but please take care when using it in public. My name holds a great deal of power."

"I understand... Adam."