Protection: The Sword and the Shield

The wind of change

...... August 1, 1991 (the day of the ritual)

...... Office of the Deputy Headmistress, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Minerva McGonagall looked at the letter in front of her. She blinked in surprise and read it again. Young Mr. Potter had successfully re-opened the House of Potter. She was not sure how he accomplished that before his majority but was even more curious about his reasons.

According to the personal note portion of the letter she received from Gringotts, after learning of his family's history, he disagreed with both James' (and Charlus before him) decision to rebuild the family first. He had taken the opening of his house a step further and decided to see if any of the "old families" where willing to re-swear their oaths. His reason was that as a minor he needed trusted advisors to guide the House until his majority and prepare him for his duties when the time came.

Minerva had to admit that she could see the logic of his actions and she felt a small bit of shame that she had given up on her family so completely. There was a time where Clan McGonagall represented the Scottish wing of the Potter circle of influence.

While her family had been a Vassal house they were rarely treated that way and rather treated as an allied house. She decided that she would re-swear the oaths if for no other reason than so that the death of Clan McGonagall would not come before once more serving House Potter and making it stronger. Then the seed of a thought blossomed in her mind.

She had been in love once and thought she might have a family but the first war robbed her of her siblings and their children and Voldemort robbed her of her love. At 56, she could still bear children. As a magical she would be a viable parent well into her 90's. Dorea was 60 when she had James after all. The idea that her family might have purpose again re-ignited her wish for a daughter as her family was a matriarchal one.

She looked over at the mirror, she had definitely let herself go. The loss of Dougal had taken her desire for children and she had let herself slip into what she now recognized as a slight depression, focusing only on her work. Things would have to change. She composed her response to the letter and sent it off with an owl.

...... Vector Manor, Wales

Osirus Vector smiled as looked at the letter in front of him. He had made the same recommendation to re-open the House to Charlus Potter but the man's pride had stopped him. He hadn't felt House Potter was strong enough to be deserving of the re-established oaths.

House Vector like Clan McGonagall had done well as a Vassal of House Potter. Most treated them as an allied House as that was how the Potter Heads had treated them. They had been luckier than Clan McGonagall in surviving the wars. They had survived much more intact a stable, but swearing the oaths would once again give them access to the Potter Family Magic and that would be very welcome.

He sent a reply to the Goblins as well as prepared a statement for the House to inform every one of his intention to re-swear the oaths and have the House of Vector become a Vassal of the House of Potter once more. Most of the old families were operational though none had re-sworn minor noble Houses. In the muggle world a Vassal house gained land and privileges by swearing the oath but in the magical world such things were easy to come by with the use of magic.

Becoming a Vassal in the magical world gained the minor House access to the Family Magic of the House to which they had foresworn. The Potters, The Longbottoms, the Notts and the Blacks were the undisputed top of that tree. The Prima Potentia Magicae. Osirus' loyalty had him believing the Potters were the best of that group.

Vassal Houses did not have access to all the family magic or the House Grimoire but they had access to the magic of the House specialty. The Potters started out as magical masons and their family magic was all about runecraft and warding. All the old rune stones were still around the Vector properties and re-swearing would secure his family one again under the famous Potter ward scheme. The Longbottoms magic was farming, the Notts was in raising animals and the Blacks were in rituals. Other families had similar specialties but those four were considered the strongest.