Princeps by Lomonaaeren

Potens

Summary:

Sequel to 'Princeps.' Harry has changed time in a way he never anticipated, and now he has to deal with followers, assassination attempts from Voldemort, questions from Dumbledore, and being Hogwarts's first returning Defense Against the Dark Arts professor in a decade.

Notes:

This is one of my "From Litha to Lammas" fics being posted between the summer solstice and the first of August. It's the sequel to my fic "Princeps," posted last year, and you really need to read that one first, as, among other things, this fic spoils the ending of that one thoroughly. This will have three parts, to be posted over the next few days. The title is the Latin word meaning "powerful."

Chapter 1

"What is that?"

Harry smiles at Regulus, who's loitering in the doorway of the Defense classroom and gaping at the image floating in the middle of the air. Harry supposes it is pretty impressive, even if you don't know what it is. It looks like a spiderweb of intricate silver lines with a sapphire egg in the middle, spinning softly. Sometimes the lines change position.

"It helps me keep track of all of you who decided to enslave me," Harry replies.

Regulus visibly droops for a second before he straightens up and scowls at Harry. "You wouldn't have taken our oaths and made ones of yours in return if you really thought that way, Professor Salvare."

"Of course not."

"Then why did you say it?"

"For the expression on your face."

Regulus eyes him and then turns back to the silver-and-blue image. "You still didn't explain what this really is."

"A visual representation of the oaths you and I and the rest of us swore," Harry explains. He stretches and sits down in the chair behind his desk, where he can watch the silver lines near the edges of the image. He wonders idly if Regulus has noticed yet that some of them are less attached to the sapphire picture in the center than others. Well, it's not like he really needs that explained to him yet. "I meant what I said about not branding you like that insane Dark Lord, but the one advantage of doing something like that is that the one who does it can keep track of his followers more easily, and know when one of them is in trouble, and call them to him."

Regulus shivers a little. "I've heard about him calling his followers to him, but—never anything about him responding when one of them is in trouble."

"I said he would know, not that he would do something about it."

Regulus nods slowly. "And you think that you'll be able to keep track of us with our oaths alone? What if—I mean, I don't want a brand, but I would do it for you, Professor Salvare." And there's the hero-worship shining in his eyes that helped to change the course of history.

"Please don't ever say something like that, Regulus." Harry doesn't have to glance at the image to know which silver line is the closest to the sapphire hub in the middle that represents his magic. He leans forwards and holds Regulus's eye. "I don't want to brand you."

"So I shouldn't speak the truth?"

"You should be careful of whom you speak it to," Harry says sharply. "Especially if you don't know who's listening."

Regulus pauses, then says, "Well, that's sort of what I've come to speak to you about, Professor Salvare. You know that not everyone in Slytherin swore to you."

Harry sighs. "Yes, I know." Honestly, more of them swore than he'd like. He came back in time to encourage independence among those young Slytherins, not just change whom they follow. He can only hope that he'll be able to make them think and perhaps reconsider standing on their own in the future.