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Delacour Manor
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With the children off on their tour, the adults meandered through the marble corridors of the Manor on a tour of their own. With his hands folded behind his back, Jean Delacour turned to Nicolas with a knowing look. "So, Nicolas… after having a proper look for yourself, what can you tell us about this new bank of his? It's causing quite the ripple, and it's not even fully operational yet."
Nicolas gave the Minister a nod. "It seems above board in every way. I examined the wards myself. John placed them himself while I was there to see it in person, and I'd be hard-pressed to say I could have done better, even after all these years. The protections are… comprehensive and thorough."
Perenelle chimed in beside him as she interlocked her arm with Nicolas's elbow. "And it isn't just for Witches and Wizards either. They're allowing magicals of all kinds. Vampires, werewolves, even Veela like your wife and daughters, will be able to bank there openly. Even without a connection to a Wizarding family"
Apolline's eyes brightened with a sincere smile. "That is truly a blessing. For too long, Veela have been forced to either convert their Muggle currency through Gringotts, to keep their wealth hidden in Muggle banks, or to marry into a magical family to gain access to a Gringotts vault. This will bring so many out of the shadows."
Jean nodded at his wife's words before his expression grew thoughtful. "A game changer, certainly. I suspect the customer base will be enormous, though it may reduce the number of traditional Lord and Lady accounts. Still, he could compete with sheer quantity." He glanced at Nicolas. "Does the bank intend to hire Veela, vampires, or werewolves as well?"
Nicolas met his gaze evenly. "Anyone with the skill and the integrity for the job, yes. But everyone, regardless of background, will be interviewed under Veritaserum to ensure there's nothing nefarious going on. The boy wants to avoid any… unpleasant surprises."
"A wise precaution," Jean gave a satisfied nod. "No one would blame him. If someone like Greyback were hired unknowingly and then caused harm, the damage to the bank's reputation would be catastrophic. I'm surprised the idea was turned down for the Aurors."
"No one wants their bad deeds to come to light through informants and enforcers who infiltrate the government," Perenelle shook her head, before adding, "It's also a statement. If you want to build a new world, you must trust those implementing the processes, otherwise, similar problems will continue to occur. You know, now that John has solved the Maledictus curse, he's already planning to move on to the next challenges — Vampirism and Lycanthropy."
Both Apolline and the Minister raised their eyebrows in genuine surprise.
"He's keeping the vampire caretakers from Littletree Castle, as you must have heard already," she continued. "He doesn't like it when people are taken advantage of, and he feels a responsibility to help them now that they're in his employ. And they love him for it. To the point of fanaticism. Not that he's aware, he's always working on something to notice small things like that, much like someone else I know."
Her look toward Nicolas went ignored as the Alchemist continued to massage his chin while delving into his thoughts. Perenelles shook her head in amused exasperation while a bright, hopeful smile made its way onto Apolline's features.
"If he manages that…well, I look forward to the day parents can rest easy knowing Greyback's pack will stop growing, or that people won't be ostracised for a bite they couldn't help. And perhaps," Apolline said thoughtfully, "he'll even find a way to enchant jewellery to stop Veela allure from affecting people who aren't prepared. Not everyone has Lord or Heir enchanted rings to keep their minds sound."
Nicolas chuckled as he glanced at his wife with a bit of pride. "He's already on it. John's made enchanted jewellery to keep children's allure from affecting their friends. It's designed for young Veela who don't yet have the Occlumency to protect themselves or others. He plans to have the Dwarves sell in the bank for all their Veela bankers for free."
Apolline's eyes grew moist with gratitude. "If it works as well as the Maledictus cure, then I know my daughters, and many others, will love it. Though I'll admit I'm surprised they want to make it for free."
"Oh yes," Perenelle added. "They're enchanted to withstand alterations or if someone tries to copy the enchantment, and not only free for a year, but the enchantment also only lasts for a year, most likely to entice the Veela people to bank with them."
With a gentle hand on his wife's shoulder and a comforting look, Jean nodded. "It's always been difficult, watching the girls struggle, seeing them hurt when their friends are jealous or the parents worry about… a magical influence. It would be a blessing if that could change."
Nicolas smiled kindly. "John intends to demonstrate the jewellery either during or after dinner, along with delivering your family's invitation to the bank's opening ball as well."
"We're looking forward to it even more now," Jean said as he and his wife both broke into warm, appreciative smiles. "What about the British Ministry? What do they think of the whole thing? I haven't heard much in regard to the British Minister paying him a visit or taking a photo with him. I take it it's your older students doing in the background?"
Nicolas gave a sly, grandfatherly smile. "You suppose correctly. It's not just the Minister, though. The Department of Mysteries is also being stonewalled, and they seem to really want the boy."
Jean let out a long, theatrical groan, running a hand through his almost silvering hair. "So, does that mean you're joining his tour to make sure countries don't try what Cornelius and the Department of Mysteries wanted to attempt, including the French?"
With a cheerful, almost impish grin, Nicolas shrugged. "That's pretty much how it is. Someone has to keep the politicians and power-hungry researchers in check. And it has been a lot of fun knowing the young chap so far."
Jean rolled his eyes in exaggerated exasperation, pouting as he looked away. Apolline, catching the exchange, gave her husband a gentle smack on the arm and an affectionate scolding. "Oh, don't be so ungrateful, Jean! The boy has come to France, plans to heal our Maledictus, and even brought Fleur and Gabrielle lovely, enchanted jewellery. At least show a little gratitude."
With that, she turned to Perenelle to ask her about Littletree Castle and its interior design. Something Perenelle was more than willing to discuss.
Thoroughly chastised, the Minister ducked his head in playful embarrassment, murmuring a quick apology as they continued their walk. "So," Jean looked over to Nicolas. "Where do you all plan to go next after France? There's a great deal of excitement in the international community. Honestly, some countries are practically jumping through hoops just to be noticed by him. It's a bit concerning…like they're trying to treat him as royalty before he's even set foot in their borders."
Nicolas's smile faded to a thoughtful frown. "There are a few places on the list — Brazil, Russia, Japan, Egypt, China, Uganda, Africa, though not in that order. You know, the big players in the magical world. But the itinerary hasn't been finalised and can change on the fly. Are you worried there's something more nefarious than the usual snake problem?"
Jean nodded warily as his brows knitted together. "I just can't shake the feeling, Nicolas. The level of which moves are being made… maybe it's another Dark Lord or something equally dangerous waiting to use the chaos for their own ends. The eagerness feels…unnatural, even for a genius who created a Maledictus cure."
Nicolas, however, simply smiled knowingly, already aware of the conversation between Dumbledore and Grindelwald. "If there is, I wouldn't worry. Believe it or not, the boy would manage even if he were facing a Dark Lord or two without our help at all. But you're right to be cautious. Power attracts danger, and the world is watching."
Jean nodded, a bit reassured by Nicolas's confidence. "Well, as long as you're keeping an eye out for all of us, even if we couldn't get him ourselves, we'll rest assured others who would see us destroyed don't also get their hands on him. As optimistic as it sounds, as long as John keeps helping where he can and has friends in high places like us, Dumbledore," he smiled, "other Ministers, if they don't get on your bad side… maybe all will be well."
"Indeed, my boy," the Alchemist smiled. "Indeed."
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Jonathan Grey
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Dinner with the Delacour family was nice. I got the chance to give them one of my projects as well. A magical necklace that would allow people who couldn't control their allure to lead a regular life.
[Veela Allure Suppressing Necklace - Enchanted]
[Description - A necklace created by a master enchanter, Johnathan Grey, to prevent the allure released by Veela from leaving a person's skin and to self-repair. The enchantment will only last for a year.]
They were all shaped like a miniature version of the basic Skyrim silver necklaces, but with my House logo, the imperial dragon, on the face. Honestly, I was surprised no one had thought of it already, especially considering how much people already dislike Veela. Then again, maybe they did think about it but just didn't want to go out of their way to help them because they thought such… creatures were beneath them. The morons.
We had some conversation about my travels, the Bank, and I gave them their invitation, which they accepted without question. The next day, we took a tour of Beauxbatons, and if I were being honest, it was just a French Hogwarts in a way, just with French architecture and different magical creatures. It had wood nymphs, which I saw for the first time, non-melting ice sculptures, and an impressive magical fountain, which I was already planning to copy for Littletree.
Then we went to the magical hospital, and after being welcomed in like a movie star, I got to work healing all the Maledictus patients. They had [Apparated] all the Maledictus citizens in from all around the country for that exact moment, so I wouldn't have to travel to them. When I was done, there were a ridiculous number of parents wanting to betroth their children, aunts or sisters to me. Or failing that, have them as my consort of some sort. But I turned them down. The bloodline was not ready to spread just yet, and none were worthy.
Then I gave the Flamels some things to work on as I got started on creating Cortana's body in the enchanted briefcase.
Stepping back from the coffin-shaped machine, the glow from the different terminals lit the Android Creation room as the chamber slid open with a hiss. Nestled inside, I could see the figure I had designed to look exactly as she did in her holographic form — slender, athletic, elegant, and almost ethereal in the soft blue light.
The skin of the body had a smooth, human-skin-like synthetic texture, with a pale blue or silvery tone, softly glowing in places to illuminated data streams and circuit patterns seen in her original projection. Her hair was a short, sleek bob, fashioned from ultra-fine, soft fibres that shimmer slightly. A part of me wanted to get started on an enchantment that would allow her to grow and control her hair in combat, but I didn't want to waste time.
[Cortana (Android) - Magical Object]
[Description - An android created by Johnathan Grey using an android creation set from the Detroit: Become Human universe. Created using enchanted Beskar from the Star Wars universe and enchanted to self-repair. Highly advanced brains which can perform billions of operations per second and can emulate human behaviour and biology to make itself indistinguishable from human bodies. Includes Gravity Thrusters, Slip-space Communication Systems, Stealth, Invisibility, anti-tracking, Hard-Light Palm and Chest Beams….]
The list went on. It was even more stacked than my Infamous Enchanted Armour, and that was saying something, because that armour was completely stacked.
"Cortana," I said as I lifted my enchanted smartwatch. The tiny hologram flickered into being above the watch, with her face already alight with excitement as she gazed down at the android body waiting for her. "The body is ready for you now."
A wide, delighted smile spread across her face. "Transferring now," she said absentmindedly as her digital form was already blurring and flickering, indicating the transfer had begun. I wasn't surprised. She had wanted the ability to touch Master Chief in person in the original if I remember correctly. In an instant, the hologram winked out. The body in the chamber twitched, then drew a sudden breath as light danced beneath the skin. Slowly, as if waking from a dream, the eyes opened. Electric blue, sharp with intelligence, and unmistakably Cortana.
She sat up, with her black hair falling perfectly around her face, and began to flex her hands, watching with open wonder as the fingers curled and straightened. She turned her palms over, then pressed them together, seemingly testing the sense of touch, with a look of mild confusion flickering across her features.
With a frown of concern drawing his brows together, I stepped closer. "Is there an issue with the process? I double-checked every circuit, every enchantment, and my Force abilities don't indicate any problems —"
A mischievous grin broke across Cortana's face as she stood in a fluid motion, which could only be attributed to the ridiculous computing of her code that dealt with balance and coordination. Her full 5'7" frame moved with dancer-like grace as she walked over and placed her warm, delicate hands on my cheeks, studying me as if seeing me for the first time.
"No," she said quietly, just above a whisper, while her eyes practically sparkled. "It's not that at all. It's just…" She broke into a full, radiant smile, "…it feels amazing to actually feel… anything. To be like a real human."
Taking the gesture in stride, I gave her a nonchalant nod. "You're welcome, and I did make a promise to make you a body, after all. The body is made from enchanted Beskar, but you've already seen that in the terminal. I'll tell you the basics anyway. It'll self-repair, and the tech's set up to let you change your appearance at will." My tone was casual, as if handing over a set of keys rather than a new existence. "There are a few other surprises built in as well, but I think it's best you take it out for a test drive."
Finally realising she'd been holding my face for a bit longer than was proper, she abruptly let go with a faint blue flush—one I knew she could turn off—touching her cheeks. It seemed like she was going for the full human experience. "Sorry!" she apologised. "I'll…uh, test the rest of the body's capabilities now."
With that, she strode over to a neatly folded set of clothes I had set aside for her on a swivel chair, picking them up and examining the textures between her fingers, smiling to herself at the feeling. With a final look of pure gratitude over her shoulder, she ducked behind a privacy screen to get dressed, as if I hadn't already seen her completely naked.
As I leaned casually against a nearby table, arms folded, I listened to the soft rustle of clothes as Cortana slipped into the simple but well-fitted set of black tactical pants, a blue long-sleeve shirt, and boots made of reinforced material. A practical choice for initial testing. All enchanted military stuff, but so was she. She could always get some better clothing for herself for me to enchant, because I would definitely not be having her walk around naked in the synthetic flesh.
When she stepped back out, my gaze immediately noted the subtle differences in her posture. Still graceful, but now more sure and purposeful, like a soldier. She paused for a moment, curling and uncurling her fingers, before raising her head high with a determined glint in her eyes. "Alright, boss," she said with a playful lilt to her voice. "Let's see what this body can really do."
Without waiting for any form of approval, she dropped into a crouch and then launched herself upward into a portal I was forced to open to prevent a broken roof. Making one for myself as well, I appeared in a specifically designed training room just in time to see her twisting mid-air in a perfect somersault before landing lightly on her feet, with only the softest whisper of sound. She blinked in surprise and looked down at her legs, completely disregarding the change of scenery, but with her computing capabilities, I'd guess she anticipated I'd react the way I did.
"Huh," she murmured, with an impressed expression. "Agility's better than I estimated."
I gave the newly created android an approving nod. "Beskar bones, micro-motors for muscle assistance, reflex amplifiers. You should be able to dodge blaster bolts and fight several Jedi masters without the need of the Force... but you have magic woven into you too, so stealth against a mage who is sensitive to magic won't end well."
Cortana's eyes lit up with interest. Testing further, she sprinted across the room at a speed far beyond what a human could achieve, blurring from one end to another. She halted in front of the reinforced wall stacked with enchanted wooden bokeh and long swords, placed her hand against it, and with a slight push, cracked the stone slightly. Obviously, the enchantment on the wall kicked in a moment later, slowly repairing the damage.
"Strength's off the charts," she said with a pleased smile as the wall put itself back together. "I barely put any pressure."
"You're not invincible," I warned. "Enough raw power can still destroy your body. But normal weapons, and even most spells, won't leave a scratch."
Grinning, Cortana took a few steps back and I could feel her activated the body's feature alteration tech. Her hair remained short and black, but her skin was no longer blue, nor did it have pieces of code running across it. Now she had healthy, light skin, and was no longer glowing.
Giving her feature a look in the mirror across the wall, she returned to her original look before she turned to me with a giddy laugh. "I feel alive, boss."
He shrugged. "You earned it. Besides... there are things I'm going to go against. Lots of things. I figured you'd want to face them at my side in a real body, not trapped in a wrist hologram or suit of armour all the time."
Something softened in her smile as she stepped closer, almost impulsively, before catching herself and taking a steady breath. "I would have done so anyway, boss," she promised. "No matter what you go up against. And you will still have a copy in your suit, watch, or home system at all times, one that I will always be connected to. I'd never leave you without my help, you would get in way too much trouble."
Ignoring her smirk, I merely nodded as I walked over to the wall to grab a few enchanted wooden swords. "Yeah, I know." The system did say that everything I purchased from it would be completely loyal to me after all.
I grabbed one for myself before levitating another to her. "Let's test the body's reflexes and hand-eye coordination, shall we? And while we're at it, we might as well check "
A willing grin spread across her features as she carefully grasped the handle of the bokken, before she slightly lowered herself into a Makashi stance and adjusted her grip. I matched her grin with one of my own as I mirrored her behaviour.
"A new body less than ten minutes old and already about to get an ass-whoopin, even with enhanced technology and enchantments," I signed in mock exasperation before sending her a challenging smirk. "Life truly isn't fair, is it?"
Her eyes narrowed slightly just before she burst forward.
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" Don't make a girl a promise... if you know you can't keep it.. "
— Cortana.
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Hello There
Yep, Cortana's got a body now. A smoking hot, highly advanced and enchanted body with tech for days.
No, she won't be his wife or anything like that. Although, she will be the type to kill people in the shadows if she finds them trying to betray John.
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Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC and original ideas. All credit goes to their respective owners.
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