9 Complexity of the Peerage System
"So, your real family were wizards. Is that why the Hollows became the Baron House of Godric's Hollow?" Hermione asked with eager eyes.
"No. My biological parents aren't from here. As you can tell, this tanned skin isn't anglo." Cotton replied. "Are you leading up to the Peerage system?"
"I am," she replied honestly.
"Well, it's a bit odd." Cotton began.
" The Peerage system is integrated with muggles as well. Whether a house is deemed magical depends on its lineage and progeny. But, becoming a magical house as the Hollows did, doesn't give you a seat on the Wizengamot. Those are set and can only be changed with 100 percent agreement of the sitting chairs."
"So do wizarding houses have power in the muggle world?" Hermione asked, her mother listening intently as well.
"Yes. But they can only control their lands and nothing more. They do not have seats in the House of Lords unless they have achieved Marquessdom. Other than that, wizard nobility are merely place markers for where the wizarding world begins and where the muggle worlds end. In some cases like Godric's hollow, it's mixed."
"But magic is still secret," Margret added.
"Yes." Cotton agreed.
"So the titles are all the same." Said Hermione.
"Precisely. The peerage system starts with Earned Knights and Hereditary Knights. Many Aurors have these classifications. Earned knights become Hereditary knights after six generations. To distinguish the two is simple, Sir is for earned knighthood and Baronet is for hereditary. Next, we have Barons, Viscounts, Earls, Marquesses, and Dukes. Informally, they all are referred to as Lord. Formally, they are all referred to by their Peerage title."
"What defines them? Land, achievements, money." Hermione asked.
"Blood, land, and vassals. And the only way to change such titles is through blood or conquest. A modern example will be the Marquess Blacks. Their only eligible heir to date is surname Malfoy of the Viscount Malfoys, being that Sirius Black is in jail and unable to inherit. More so, it will be stupid to give the house. And like now, their past generations have married and swallowed families to get to the title of Viscount."
"I get it." Said Hermione. "So if Viscount Malfoy becomes Marquess Black. Then, in reality, Marquess Black dies and becomes Marquess Malfoy. So how did House Black become a Marquessdom?"
"Purest of Blood and connection. In the beginning, there were six Dukes and Two Royal Houses. Every peerage that followed was made up of friends, people of renown, Lords of kingdoms conquered, and related to the families of the six Dukes: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, Emrys, and Avalon."
"But they can fall, as you said about the Potters," said Hermione.
"Mmm. Yes. The Potters are a horrible example though. A better example is the people we recently met. Once the Marquess Weasly and Prewett, they are but Barons with no one on their lands. That's why they're so broke." said Cotton.
"Blimey. To fall so low. How?" Hermione was stound that the lot of tattered people actually had such a profound beginning.
"As you saw, they're numbskulls. They didn't play their positions well and they lost everything. On the contrary, the Malfoys came from France with nothing, and now they're on their way to be Marquesses."
"How about conquest?" she asked. "You said that Peerages can change by Blood and Conquest."
"Ahhh...Conquest." Cotton spoke, then eat the remaining of his plate to gather his thoughts.
"Houses of Conquest and Rights of Conquest. Right of Conquest means Granger can kill Malfoy and become Viscount Granger, assuming Malfoy's titles and assets legally. If and only if the life and death duel is agreed upon by both parties and the stakes were wagered as such. That's where a House of Conquest comes in. Houses of Conquest are houses built on adventure, tomb raiding, and war. Houses of Conquest relinquish all rights of protection from the governing powers. Just as they take, everything they have can be stolen, if and only if, the lord of the house is killed. But, any member of the house of conquest can take."
"Do such houses still exist?" Hermione asked, concerned and curious.
"Yes," Cotton smirked as he washed down his food with some drink. "but like many heirs and lords, those are labeled House of Conquest can go to the Ministry and relinquish the title. Subjecting themselves to the law and be protected by the law."
"But how likely is that?"
"Not at all. Once a House of Conquest does that, they can never regain the title. The title House of Conquest isn't handed out anymore. It's why followers of the recent Dark Lords ended up in Azkaban and hunted by authorities. If the most recent Dark Lord had been the Lord of a House of Conquest, his followers would have been protected by the law."
"So they want to burn the world down and take what's not theirs?" Hermione frowned.
"They want a fighting chance." Cotton replied but the bodhi necklace kept him calm and controlled.
"Muggle-born girl, if a Lord abused you right now, the people in this room would applaud him and blame you. If a lord of conquest blew him away, they could fight but they will never be able to lock him in jail. They wouldn't be able to stop him from taking his assets and titles. Everything they had will be his."
"What if they decided to fight?" Hermione asked.
"They won't. Because their only thought is, 'what if'." he replied.
"What if what?"
"What if the viscount dies before me? Then I can take everything he has by killing the Lord of Conquest. And the Marquesses are worried about dying and losing their house to a baron. They will never join hands. Houses of conquest can protect against tyrants or it can enable them. This world isn't black and white Ms. Granger."
"But the ministry."
"That brings me to the last lesson. Royal Families. Dukes merrily have more power than Marquess. More money and so on. The only duke that can match a Royal House, is the Duke of Avalon. The Duke or Duchess of Avalon is also the High Priest or Priestess of the Isle of the Bless. Everything decreed on that land is the law. The Royal houses for us are the same, but, the Pendragons are extinct, no one can undo the protection of a House of Conquest because House Pendragon is a House Conquest, house could they have united Albion?"
"What about the second Royal House?"
"The second Royal House is alive and well, but no can speak to them except the Duke of Avalon, keeper of the Gates of Avalon."
"Avalon...Avalon… the Immortal Sidhe." Hermione realized she heard mention of them before in a book she had read.
"You know you Arthurian legend. The Immortal Sidhe are keepers of magic. Legend says that they made the magical laws that govern all of Albion. When King Arthur promised to unite magical and nonmagical. The King of the Sidhe gave Arthur the power of decree. And even though House Pendragon is dead, the houses of wizarding Britain still answer to the throne of Britain."
"Because King Arthur decreed?"
"Whoever shall hold the power of all Albion, will take command over its magical and nonmagical houses less they be condemned to ash. Through this, peace shall be maintained."
"So the house of Windsor?" Hermione asked.
"Tricky business. There. Think of it as a loophole after Pendragon went extinct. No one had allegiance to anyone. It was an all-out war. England, Scotland, Ireland. The Windsors gained it all in the end and they descended from Germany. They managed to bring it all together and once it was, ancient law had awakened. By then, Houses of Conquests were barred from further creation."
The conversation went on for a while longer until Royal and Daniel Granger appeared. Hermione had more questions. She wanted to further understand the mechanics and complexities of the wizarding Peerage system. Cotton then explained to her that his boasting of explaining the Peerage System within the hour was an over-exaggeration. He then convinced her that the most important information was in 'War of House' and that they could discuss it when they saw each other again. It seemed to do the trick.
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Two days later. Bulgaria, Smithiery of Henry Kazhoff.
"I don't make weapons for the British. I can't take Galleons. Galleons belong to the goblins. So go back home, get Dragots or some Bezants, then come and talk to me." said Henery, a seven-foot-tall man as strong as an oak tree.
"I can do Bezants. But, I need three swords. Best work you've done in your life with the best material you can get your hands on." said Royal.
"It'll take a few months," said Henry.
"I have a few months to spare. Make this unparalleled and I promise it will be worth your while." Royal added.
A week later in St. Mungo's Hospital, Royal and Cotton stood behind a white curtain, while Margret and Hermione were on the other side. Both children were fast asleep as the Healers of the hospitals examined them thoroughly.
When they finally came two, Hermione's healer was in a slightly better mood than Cotton's.
"We have good news and bad news. The good news is, you came to us early. Muggle-borns usually wait well into their late teens or when something bad happens. Let me tell you what happens to muggle-born kids. You suppress your power when children should let it bleed out. And when it does express itself, it's big. In a wizard house, accidental magic is a good thing until you get your wands and learn to control your magic. Hermione Granger. Very talented. Her mental fortitude however is too strong. If your parents were wizards they would have given you potions to decompress and stimulate your growth. Cotton Hollow, your magic reserve is big. I take it that you've been suppressing flare-ups since you were...5?"
"Six," said Royal.
"Yeah. But don't worry, we have options to get you both right. Now, when they were younger, did they get sick with rashes, cold sweat, bad indigestion, and things that looked like the body was fighting itself?"
Royal and Margret nodded.
"Yeah. Believe it or not, a lot of muggle born wizards and witches die young. Alright, we have prescriptions for both of them. Take them as prescribed and do not miss a dose. You do this and you'll be on the rate of maturity as the young wizards raised properly in the wizarding world."
"What are these?" Margret asked.
"Mostly supplements. A few stimulants for Hermione, I suggest removing all sharp objects from the area before taking the stimulants. It will release her magic. There are also potions to heal the effects of Peach Clovers, Toddler's Parasites, Toxic blockage, and Night Grubs. Everything their bodies had signs of experiencing over the years. There are also a few cleanses to clean them of all of that muggle medicine in their organs. The potion master will explain the rest."
"Oh, Mr. Hollow is your son of New Zealand Descent?"
"Yes, how'd…"
"A warrior. It happens to many Blacks, Shafiqs, Potters, and other houses with bloodline abilities for battle. When his magic readjusts to a freer state. His body won't be able to handle it. You need to get a lot of food and make sure he gets light exercise after taking his medicine. Generations of dragons don't turn into songbirds overnight, not even with magic. The stronger his bloodline the harder these months will be. Also, you should put on his medical records, 'Possible Wizard Parents'. Bloodline tests can be done to form a complete medical history. You too, Mrs. Granger. Though Hermione is your daughter, it's not uncommon for muggle-borns to actually be of squib descent undergoing an atavism. Who knows what kind of powers or sicknesses were stirred up during her birth."
With that, the two families collected their cases of potions and paid a hefty fee before leaving.
"Thank you, Royal. Dan and I had no idea that Hermione should get a magical check-up. Now she'll be better off for it." said Margret.
"No problem at all. Tell Danny boy there's always room in the sweet loving wizarding world for a dentist. And we can always use the company in Godric's Hollow." said Royal.
The months that followed were pretty strenuous. But it was much the same as he had been doing for the past year. But the medication and side effects had done a number on him. Occasionally the Grangers visited. The Hollows liked to talk to people who understand their situation. Having a magic child could be a bit isolating.
During this time, his tutors were sent away on vacation and the family swords arrived. Vanessa received a short sword equipped with rune sequences. Royal received a broad sword with identical runes. Finally Cotton received a two-handed Thranduil sword. Each of them was made of Mithril and enchanted.
Mithril was the ore of the dwarves, enemies of the goblins, and half of Henry Kazhoff's lineage. Like the swords of old, Cotton's sword could replace his wand seamlessly.
Finally, the day came when the boy would have to go away to Hogwarts. But his mother was off to work in Paris and his father was at the ministry for the test to finally become a Barrister. But neither worried as a girl with hair as black as night and deep grey eyes escorted Cotton to Hogwarts.
Dressed in a nice three-piece suit, Cotton had his sword on his hip. His wand from Ollivander was holstered to the side of his body and his wand from Amos was holstered on his right calf. It was hard to guess that the boy was adopted by muggles as his constitution sung of a pureblood upbringing.
