Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
Serena POV – January 4, 1977.
Why did people keep giving me territories? Or rather, how did I keep getting them even though I really didn't want to manage any of it? Still, here I was, repurposing the territory the Black family had given me as a wedding dowry.
And they were quick; it only took them two days to give me my new territories. I didn't even know how they'd managed it, and I was really curious about how property was handled in the Muggle world, but now it was all mine. The Blacks really wanted a part in all of this.
I could understand why Bella had used magic recovery potions as leverage; they practically didn't exist in this world and would change many things in the magical world, but even so, that meant she had to set up production of basic ingredients to start producing those potions efficiently.
Most of the ingredients were easy to obtain; in fact, Lucius would handle that part of the negotiation once he finished his own business. So, all that remained were the ingredients that didn't exist in this world.
The plants were easy to grow; they had already been transplanted, and with just a little power of The Light, they were already flowering healthily across a huge patch. Even if they were otherworldly plants, they adapted perfectly to the environment's magic and grew without issue, in abundance, so they would be more than enough to supply the base yield.
Now, the animals that were the main ingredients were the problem. For starters, they were descendants of monsters; they were much more docile than the actual monsters in the dungeon, but they were still quite hostile.
Now, they weren't really a problem for any decent mage since the monsters they had descended from were from the first floors of the dungeon, so they were weak.
But even so, I had had to raise those monsters under time bubbles to increase their numbers, at least enough to have several dozen of them to bring into the magical world and leave half of them in the underworld.
It was a delicate art to create completely self-sufficient ecosystems where they could reproduce easily and be maintained for several generations without everything going to the underworld.
Especially because if I wanted it done quickly, it would take years in a time bubble in fractions of a second without my intervention; I wouldn't be able to react quickly enough if something went wrong.
GLaDOS had to help me with the calculations and simulations for the artificial ecosystems. Luckily, it was something she already had a lot of experience with, thanks to GAIA, so only one of them was a complete failure. So now I was replicating most of the ecosystem within my new territory that the Blacks had given me, since the animals would be used to and adapted to it.
Now there was the next problem. I had to find someone to manage and care for the place. Lucius and Ravel could handle the basics, but I would need staff to look after the plants and animals, and harvest them when everything was ready. That meant hiring other wizards and witches.
And it was something that I, unfortunately, had to take care of.
Lucius was busy; he still had to run Pentagram City, and now there was also the problem with the Malfoy estate. His father's disappearance was still a problem for the Ministry; after all, it hadn't even been a week since it happened, and they didn't really know if he was alive or not.
Lucius was pushing to get the Lordship of Malfoy immediately; that meant many meetings with different people who would help push that motion in the Wizengamot.
And that meant meeting with the Death Eaters. Flattering them enough and promising that House Malfoy was still committed to the cause, enough for them to help Lucius get what he wanted, once he had the lordship, Lucius would break with them.
I had already put up enormous wards around Malfoy Manor where we were staying, and I was confident enough that not even Voldemort could break them. Only if a miracle occurred and Dumbledore joined Voldemort, and they both used Ancient Magic, would they be able to break my wards, so I had no concern about that happening.
Besides that, I was also busy with wedding stuff; although I let Lucius and Bella handle most of the legal aspects, I still had to practically organize it.
A Union Ritual was, as its name suggested, a ritual. Many things had to be prepared for the ritual to be carried out properly. And I, as the one receiving the bride—since Bella would be taking my last name—had to be in charge of preparing the ritual as perfectly as possible.
I was sure Lord Black just wanted to see how well I could organize this, but I didn't really care. I had already made several concessions; I wasn't going to let them organize my wedding too, so I didn't bother them while preparing everything for the ritual.
The first thing was to decide on the date; having a date would set the deadline to prepare everything with more than enough time, and really, it wasn't that difficult with the dates approaching.
The wedding was to take place at Imbolc, on February 4th.
Imbolc is a Celtic pagan festival that marks the midpoint between the winter solstice (Yule) and the spring equinox (Ostara). It symbolizes renewal, fertility, the awakening of the earth after winter, the rebirth of light, stable unions, cleansing, and new beginnings. It was associated with the goddess Brigid, who was linked to fire.
In the wizarding world, Imbolc held magical significance. It is traditionally celebrated on February 1st or 2nd, depending on the calendar, but astronomically, it fell on February 4th. The last solstice was on December 21st, and the next equinox will be on March 20th.
A truly important date, both magically and culturally.
The best time for the wedding would be at dawn or midday; both were symbolic. Dawn represents the rebirth of light, of new beginnings; it would be the purest moment, magically speaking. But solar midday represents the strongest point of the day, where magic is most stable and powerful. Both options were good, so I was partially decided.
The only thing left to decide was the location… that was another problem altogether. There were traditionally magical places; Stonehenge would have been the first option that came to mind, but I quickly dismissed it. Stonehenge was better aligned with solar events, such as the solstices.
And then my mind drifted to Glastonbury Tor. A place associated with Avalon, a magical point of renewal with a tradition deeply connected to the feminine, the earth, and cycles. It's also a prominent hill in Somerset, rising abruptly from a plain, making it an excellent spot to witness the sunrise or midday sun.
Yes… I would have to see how to secure that specific spot for the wedding, but Glastonbury Tor… sounded perfect.
I mentally jotted down all the ideas before moving on to the next steps for the ritual, though I couldn't help thinking about the other girls in the meantime.
The girls went back and forth between the different worlds, and I really couldn't blame them; there wasn't really much they could do here in the magical world, especially when I was terribly busy with everything, so they just went and did their own thing.
Beca, Lucy, and Ravel were the ones who went to Pentagram City most often, especially to plan the creation of the nightclub. It was still in its initial phase, throwing ideas around, researching different clubs, and seeing what would best serve the underworld and the various supernatural races.
Enid went back and forth with them, helping with ideas, but she was more focused on K-pop Demon Hunter. She was writing all the scripts and getting to know everyone involved in the project so the project could move forward as quickly as possible. Ravel would join her when necessary for the more legal parts, but Enid was the one who mainly took care of everything.
Bella continued to spend time in Orario, but she was also taking care of several things related to the wedding, especially taking Narcissa to meet Andromeda and asking them both to be her bridesmaids.
Narcissa accepted immediately with delight, almost with a squeal. Andromeda, on the other hand, snorted and scoffed, mainly because she didn't really believe it was possible. She was still expelled from the Black family, and the Blacks wouldn't even dare let her near an event of such magnitude.
She only seemed to understand that it was true when Bella told her it was a Prince wedding, and that the Blacks couldn't dictate anything about it. Furthermore, she had convinced her grandfather not to cause any trouble by making the wedding public.
Something that was already giving me a headache just thinking about it. It wasn't public as such, well, the wedding had already been announced in the Prophet, not the exact date, but that it would take place and other details, but I wasn't referring to that, but rather to inviting a large number of pure-blooded families.
After all, it was the first Rite of Union to follow the ancient traditions in practically centuries, and it was going to be performed by the eldest Black daughter. So yes, that was something that had truly made an impact; the year had barely begun, and they were already calling it the event of the year.
It was annoying, yes, but if that was the price I had to pay to have Bella's family on board while we were getting married, I was more than willing to be practically on display.
Riveria spent time in Orario, though she also came whenever I had free time to spend with them. I'd forgotten once again about the war between Apollo and Hestia, which Hestia obviously won, so that was good. Still, Riveria had also reminded me that Loki was waiting to return to the underworld for her visit to the succubus brothels.
I almost wanted to sigh loudly when I remembered that the Freya family executives were also supposed to come.
Speaking of Freya, she was the one who actually stayed permanently at Malfoy Manor. She'd go for walks in Diagon Alley or simply spend her time reading, undisturbed, perfectly content where she was. And that's where I was now. I gently knocked on the open library door, catching Freya's attention. Her face lit up as she looked at me.
"My dear." Freya purred as she stood up and adjusted her rather revealing dress, then shifted her body to accentuate certain parts. I couldn't help but let my eyes wander to them before meeting hers again; from the victorious expression in her eyes, she'd definitely noticed. "How can I help you?" she asked, stepping closer.
"I have... a favor to ask of you." I began to say slowly while licking my lips.
"Whatever you want," Freya said immediately with a smile. I grimaced.
"Yes…" I said slowly, swallowing and looking directly at her. "I want… You to officiate Bella's and my wedding." I said it directly before I could back down. Freya's eyes widened slightly before she smiled brightly.
"I'd be delighted to do it!" Freya squealed excitedly. I blinked, confused.
"Oh... thank you." I said, looking at her, confused. Freya looked at me and smiled mockingly.
"That didn't sound very grateful," Freya mocked as she leaned closer to me. I grimaced.
"I'm sorry, I'm truly grateful." I said honestly, and I was. There were other options, but any of them was a poor substitute for having a goddess of love officiate the wedding. "But... I thought you would object." I said slowly. Freya bowed her head.
"Why would I? I already knew you had other women; I was sure they were your wives at the time, and yet I didn't care. Marrying them now changes nothing. I'll keep trying to win you over, and I'll be one of your wives." Freya said confidently, puffing out her chest and flashing a smug smile. I blinked, my mouth opening and closing, before smirking.
"I see, then I'll be grateful to you." I told Freya, who smiled broadly. Freya smiled proudly before looking at me suggestively.
"Just out of curiosity, what did you plan to do to convince me if I refused?" Freya asked playfully. I blinked.
"Um... a favor?" I said awkwardly with a crooked smile. Freya's eyes shone brightly.
"A favor, huh? " Freya hummed, taking several steps back before turning around and looking at me over her shoulder. "Then I'll collect on that favor," Freya said with a mischievous smile.
"Wait, but you just said-"
"I changed my mind." Freya interrupted me cheerfully. "Or you can see it as... thanks from you." Freya laughed. I just sighed.
"Okay." I sighed before looking at her cautiously. "So... what do you want?" I asked slowly.
"A date! I want a date with you!" Freya announced confidently, smiling. However, I could see her body tremble slightly in several places, especially around her eyes and mouth, as if she were expecting to be rejected. I took a deep breath.
"Very good," I said with a smile.
"Before you deny it, I'll say—" Freya stopped immediately and looked at me, confused. "Did you say… very well?" Freya asked slowly. I laughed slightly.
"Yes, I'll have a date with you." I repeated to myself as I looked at her. Freya looked at me for a few seconds as if she were searching for something before a huge, bright smile grew on her face.
"Yes!" Freya shouted happily, not even bothering to be embarrassed by such a display of joy. She simply followed me, smiling. She threw herself at me, hugged me tightly, grabbed my arms, and practically jumped for joy. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! You won't regret it! " Freya said, pulling away. I smiled gently at Freya.
Freya had truly changed since leaving Orario, or rather, she was slowly becoming herself again. Without the need to be a goddess and maintain her goddess facade, she was becoming more Syr than Freya each day, or rather, she was letting more of herself out as time went on.
And it wasn't like it was annoying, really; it was... nice to see her being herself without any care. My smile softened.
"So, what did you have planned?" I asked playfully. Freya looked at me with a smile.
"I still don't know! I didn't think I'd get this far!" she said happily, and I laughed.
"Should I plan something?" I asked easily. Freya immediately shook her head and crossed her arms in an X.
"No! I'm supposed to seduce you, I'll plan our date! " Freya said confidently. I just nodded. "Although…" Freya began. "Would you mind if it's in the Underworld? I'm not really familiar enough with the Magical World to plan anything." Freya said apologetically, and I just nodded.
"Of course, I wouldn't have minded even if the date was in Orario." I told her honestly, and Freya sighed with relief.
"Okay, okay, I have to go plan!" Freya said before hugging me one last time and running off. I looked at her amusedly before shaking my head.
I was going to give her a book on the Union and Handfasting rite, but that could wait. Now that I had an officiant, and none other than a goddess of love, now… that I continued with the ritual.
A/N: If you liked the story, join my patreon, patreon.com/Camellya_Addams, there are up to 10 chapters in advance, thank you. Or you can also visit my Ko-Fi, ko-fi.com/camellya_addams.